Thank you to the many people who voted in our series of polls for Player(s) of the Season over the last 24 hours.
Before going to the results, I want to give you a trickier question to answer in the comments below.
The question is (and obviously it’s just a bit of fun): Who do you predict to be Arsenal’s overall Player of the Season for NEXT season (2020-21)?
You can select players in the current squad or players you think/hope/expect to come to Arsenal during the close season. Up to you. Have some fun…
And now for the results for 2019-20:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (78%)
Runner-up: Emi Martinez (7%)
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Bukayo Saka (62%)
Runner-up: Gabriel Martinelli (18%)
DEFENDER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Kieran Tierney (54%)
Runner-up: David Luiz (20%)
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Winner: Emi Martinez (42%)
Runner-up: Granit Xhaka (26%)
MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Dani Ceballos (46%)
Runner-up: Granit Xhaka (35%)
ATTACKING PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (66%)
Runner-up: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (34%)
Congratulations to the winners. A few surprises in there (at least from this observer’s perspective).
RockyLives
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
No surprises for me, Rocky. Thanks for producing it.
Hoping – Player(s) of next Season
Saiba, Partey, Smith-Rowe, Saka, Martinelli, Mari and Tierney.
If I have to plump for one – Tierney.
Hi Rocky. Thanks for two days of entertaining reading.
I was surprised by how many subscribers felt that Emi Martinez is our most improved player. I’ve been banging on for three or four years about him. I thought he was our best goalie when Cech was here. The only real improvement I can see is the confidence that a run of games has given him. I love Bernd Leno, but I would select Emi ahead of him every time. They are both sensational shot-stoppers, but our Argentinian is stronger and braver in the air, and calmer and more reliable in his distribution.
As to today’s poser, I hope that Gabriel Martinelli is next season’s PoY. If he makes a full recovery, and stays fit, he is going to be a sensation. Tierney and Pepe deserve a mention, because I can see them making the Year Two jump. Whichever goalie is custodian will not need to earn PoY status, as the defence in front of them will be so martialled and coached by MA that the man at the back will frequently have an armchair ride.
I can’t wait.
Pepe
Hi Maxwell
I didn’t vote for Emi because I didn’t really think he’d played enough previously to be “most improved”. If there had been a “most unexpected success story” category I think he’d have win it hands down.
My “most improved” was a toss up between Mustafi and Xhaka, but I plumped for Mustafi because Xhaka had previously played quite well at times whereas Mustafi had become almost a laughing stock of a defender. Arteta did an amazing job with him.
For next season?
My fantasy pick is Thomas Partey.
My sensible pick is PEA, who will also win the Golden Boot.
I am hoping that next year’s
– players of the year will be Pepe
– defender of the year Tierney and Luiz
– midfielder of the year Ceballos
– attacking player of the year will be Auba
– most improved player – Bellerin
For this year, I am more or less in agreement with the results and I agree that Emi and Bernd are going to battle it out hard for the number 1 spot as Emi now has also the confidence of bringing a trophy home.
@RL – thanks a lot for the posts!
Fred
I would love it if Pepe progressed to the point where he was our Player of the Season next year.
He has all the ability in the world. If he is capable of being coached (and the signs are that he really is) he could turn into a heck of a player.
RC
Another vote for Pepe for next year! Interesting.
Pepe played well the last few games. I think Pepe, Auba will stay and Laca will move and the question is, how is going to be the third option up front – could we play Willian on the left and Auba in the middle or will be play a CF and keep Auba as LF? If Laca leaves, we will need to get a CF that can do good link up plays and hold the ball up as Nketiah still needs to grow…
LBG
Here are the ones that surprised me from the voting:
Ceballos as MF of the year. He finished really strongly but was very slow to get going and had some really indifferent spells (particularly under Emery). I voted for Xhaka, but there was no obvious winner in that category.
Martinez for most improved (as discussed above).
And David Luiz as runner up for Defender of the Year (I actually voted for him because of the way he stepped up in the big games when it really mattered, but I was surprised that others voted for him. I assumed he was still in the doghouse with most Arsenal fans). It was a close run thing with Tierney, but I didn’t vote for him because he missed so much of the season.
Cheers Rock.
I’d just like to say what an absolute farce the EPL young player of the year noms are. Having players nominated that are 24…
It should be capped at 21 (during the season).
Then the young players are actually promising players not those that could have been regilars for 6 years
Saka not being nominated is craziness. I know he was sheltered towards the back end of the year but come on.
Very wrapped in Tierney. I haven’t been this wrapped about a young player in years. He’s going to give cole and winterburn a shake before his arsenal careers out imo.
I was interested to see that Juve have appointed Andrea Pirlo to replace Sarri as head coach.
Sarri had won the league for the Old Lady, but falling out of the Champs League in the round of 16 was clearly too much for the club’s top brass.
Hopefully one side effect of this will be put an end to talk of Aaron Ramsey moving to Chelsea, which I would most definitely not like to see.
Ramsey was severely under-used by Sarri but perhaps Pirlo will appreciate him more.
He’s too good a player to be spending half the season on the bench.
I think Sarri’s career at top clubs is going to take a big hit after his spells at Chelsea and Juve. He did win the Europa League and Scudetto but his teams did not play attractive football (What happened to Sarri-ball?) and Sarri had fall outs with players and staff at both clubs. He is following a Villa-Boas and/or even Emery type of trajectory. I think he will find a job quickly but he ll have to settle for teams like Porto, Benfica, Sevilla, Betis, Valencia, Fiorentina…and will have to wait for another chance at a big club.
I agree that Ramsey is too good a player to be benched but at the same time, he had to compete with quality players like Pjanic, Betancur, Rabiot, Matuidi but I am sure he ll do well with Pirlo an Pjanic has left…although Arthur has come in…Let us see. I think Pirlo will play 433 so you could see Matuidi, Arthur, Ramsey in the middle of the park or Rabiot, Arthur, Ramsey next year at Juve.
As for Tierney – he is very promising but I am not sure he is going to get to Cole level. Cashley was the best LB of his generation – better than Evra and others.
Personally do see lacazette leaving just to answer your question front 3 would be saka aubameyang Pepe
I don’t see lacazette leaving
https://dailycannon.com/2020/08/alexandre-lacazette-unhappy-with-arteta-plans-wants-atletico-madrid-move/
Willian has just confirmed his Chelsea exit on Twitter…. how much longer will we have to wait before he’s announced?!! It’s the waiting that kills me (same with Auba!) 😄
@Sue – it would not be too bad if we started our signings with Willian.
RC.. 👍 I agree!
Thanks Rocky, most of us would want a player who can really influence the outcomes of game to be POTS I’d suspect … so in that case it would have to be Auba.
Having felt we’ve needed a new ‘Vieira’ for so long I’d like it to be Partey, because, if it were …
1. it would mean we’d signed him
… and 2. it would mean we’ve solved our flaky midfield problem and therefore improved our defence and attack.
Edu seems to be bringing all Chelsea Brazilian to the club sreups
@Fred – imagine if we also sign Coutinho, then we would have a Brazilian band of brothers at AFC with: Luiz – Willian, Coutinho, Martinelli and we can even add Mari since he played in Brazil too (lol)
@Rasp – Arteta reportedly identified 3 priority players: Partey, Willian, Coutinho…let s c if he gets his wishes
What about doucoure sure cheaper than partey
Did u watch bayern chelsea game yesterday countinho looked horrible reminds me of James amazing how Talented players can just lose it
No defenders interesting
Well Rocky, I am also not surprised by your votes for midfielder and defender!!! You will know my views on your choices.
I think Emi will start the new season in goal (as long as he doesnt carry out his threat!), and, unless Bernd improves significantly with control of crosses, will get and keep No 1 slot.
Like Oz, very excited at future for Tierney ( hope no more significant injuries). He was a young but mature Captain at Celtic, and I think he will sooner rather than later take that mantle.
I continue to feel, probably very controversially with some here, that whether by injury, inconsistency, or lack of opportunity that Ramsey, the Ox, Nasri, Hleb were/are all good but not special players!! Sorry, only an opinion.
The player I am worried about losing is Guendouzi. I think he has to go, but think we must insist on £25-30million and a sell on clause.
LBG 😀
I know – I felt bad confessing to my choices.
Differing opinions is one of the joys of footy.
I do agree about Gwen. I had high hopes for him, but we can’t have a disruptive influence hanging around when Arteta is trying to build something special.
Especially when that disruptive influence is just a kid who’s won nothing and achieved very little in his career so far. Unless he sorts his head out his career might not go the way he’d like.
Off the wall prediction: the Willian signing is only there to compensate for the potential loss of Aubamayang. In other words I do not see Willian joining unless Auba goes.
However, this could change if Laca goes, then again Willian could be given the 3 year contract as a replacement that he understandably seeks.
Which, if you think about it is very dodgy, 32 year olds signing for 3 years oh so often start taking things easy and with that mind set goes their edge.
Ozil meet Willian — Willian meet Ozil.
LB
Well, that’s a cheery way of looking at it!
Morning all
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